Night Job
by SpiffyCaptainJ
Summary: Being a best friend to a pregnant woman is hard, supporting her because the dad ran off is harder, and things get worse when Naruto bites off more than he can chew. Working at a coffee shop, a bar and secretly using his phone to be a phone sex operator Naruto is quickly overwhelmed. The plus? the jerk that calls the phone line to actually talk. SasuNaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Okay, so here is something that has been nibbling in my brain, and is just kinda happening at its own pace. It feels rushed to me, but my muse is writing her wonderfulness and I don't want to pull her attention away.

So here you go, review and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

**Disclaimer: yea, Naruto obviously is not owned by the likes of me.**

**Ch.1**

The cold of the air permeated his thin orange zippered hoodie, his hand clamped around the stack of bills from tonight's earnings in his pocket as he quickened his pace and the hour drew later. The cold air burned his nose and caused his chest to ache, he clamped his teeth down in an attempt to stop the chattering that he knew was approaching, his feet made very little noise in comparison to the city life blaring around him. He was currently cutting through a narrow alleyway between two buildings, same as he did any other night, but now that winter was crawling in the trip back to his current residence seemed to take longer than ever before.

The blast of light and noise he received upon reaching the end of the relatively muted alley way disoriented him for a moment before he continued on,..down a side walk, sprint across the street with one hand on his belt to keep his pants from falling off, squeeze up against the wall to avoid the thrum of people that always seemed to have somewhere important to go, no matter the hour, and then again down a relatively quiet alleyway to a small door set into a brick wall, he fumbled with his keys for a moment, cursing his numb fingers, his opposite hand never leaving his wad of cash, until finally he was on the other side of the door with it securely locked behind him.

He huffed out a breath, the air coming out in a cloud in front of him, before continuing at a somewhat normal pace up the stairs to his apartment, all the way at the friggin top.

He had chosen that particular apartment for two reasons, A. he could climb out his window and scale up to the roof, and B. no one above him to stomp around.

He sighed and leaned against the pale peeling wall paper outside of his door while sticking the key into the old flaking aluminum door knob. After successfully unlocking the door after several tries he swung open the door to reveal the very small dingy apartment.

To his right was the kitchen, and to his left was the living room. All one room, all done in very cheap stick-it-yourself tile in god knows what color it used to be, though now it was some yellowing green color. There was a leaky sink, with the window to the outside above it, counter on either side of it with sagging cabinets all painted white in some attempt to make it either look clean, or cover up whatever was stained into it. He shuddered at the thought, then the small old fashioned fridge with a freezer that randomly stopped running whenever it felt like it. He tossed his keys onto the counter, smiling at the soapy residue.

_Hinata,.._

He stretched and allowed his back to pop a few times before walking gingerly to the old couch in the living room. And there she was. Long black hair tied up messily on top of her head, grey sweat pants, and Naruto's warmest hoodie. Her hands were resting peacefully over her round belly; her breathing was even and peaceful.

Naruto smiled warmly and rested a hand on her shoulder as he stooped to kiss her forehead. She stirred awake and opened light violet eyes sleepily. "Morning, er, evening Sunshine." Naruto said, stepping back and sitting down by her feet. "The kitchen smells clean"

She smiled and sat up some, allowing him more room at the foot of the couch.

"Thanks.." She replied softly. "How was the bar?"

He groaned and slumped into the couch further.

"Noisy, aggravating, full of assholes...nothing new there though. But enough about me! How are you doing? How's baby?" he reached a hand to rub her belly fondly.

"She's doing fine, running out of room in there though; she's moving so much more now." She grimaced as the baby kicked, and then laughed because Naruto had sprung from his seat and was now standing beside her with both hands out over her belly crouched like he was ready to run or tackle some unknown entity.

"Re-relax Naruto!", she giggled. "Its fine, comes with the package. What are you going to do when I go into labor?" She laughed again, more gently.

Naruto grinned, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I dunno. I just hate feeling like I can't help."

"Oh Naruto, you do more than enough already. Who gave me a place to stay after my family disowned me? Who is supporting me now? How in the world would I ever get by if it wasn't for you?" She relaxed into the couch and smiled peacefully.

" I know, I know. I just feel like little bean deserves better than, well this-" He gestured hopelessly at the crumbling apartment.

"She deserves, and you deserve, a clean place to live, with nice furniture and plenty of groceries.. "

He sighed, letting his hands fall to his hoodie pockets.

"I'll find a better job,… I've got about a month left until bean is due,… I'll fix this."

"N-Naruto stop! You don't have to fix anything! Who takes care of me?" She sighed when his face didn't change.

"You are a wonderful godfather."

Naruto glanced up, a small smile on his tan face. "Stop saying that."

She smiled mischievously, "Nope."

She stood slowly from the couch, and walked through one of the two doors lining the wall into the only bedroom, "I'm going to go ahead and go to bed, I haven't been sleeping too well lately.. There's some dinner in the fridge though, love you."

Naruto bade her goodnight.

He sighed sleepily and waited until he heard the television in the bedroom click on.

He pulled the wad of cash out of his pocket, with a wary eye to the door Hinata had just disappeared through, then walked to the TV stand, pushed aside their small dvd collection and pulled up the bottom shelf, revealing the small hollow between the shelf and the floor. It was already filling with wrinkled piles of bills. He added most of what he had to the stash, and then replaced the shelf and dvds.

He eyed it carefully for a few moments before deciding it looked fine and he slumped onto the couch, yawning and pulling out his biggest secret from Hinata, his cell phone. Already he could feel himself dreading the next few hours on the cold roof and the sense of extreme filth that came with it.

The day was wearing on, and the Bluetooth headset was beginning to give him a headache. He snatched it from his ear and tossed it into the empty leather passenger seat of his all black Honda s2000. The stress of the day was getting to him. Idiots unable to manage simple tasks, calling to ask about things that were clearly written out in their procedures book wasting his time. He snatched the wheel to the right, directing himself rather abruptly into the parking lot of a popular bar.

After parking and extracting himself from his vehicle, leaving his coat and Bluetooth behind, he made his way towards the bar. It was nearing 9 o'clock and the bar was already filled with the scent of stale smoke and spilled beer.

It wasn't long before he exited again, alcohol slowing his steps and making the attempt to unlock his car take twice as long as usual. As he began to enter his car he noticed a flyer tucked under the wiper and snatched it up as he settled in and closed the door. Without really thinking, he shoved the paper in his pocket and made the quick drive to his loft apartment, not really caring that he was drunk and driving, nor caring that he could barely see the road, let alone operate the doors and elevators to get to his apartment.

When he did finally stumble his way through his kitchen into his bedroom, he collapsed on the bed and began to undress from the day, intent on a good nights drunken rest. He took the contents of his pockets and laid them on his night stand, kicking off his pants and removing his shirt, and then reaching for his cell phone to place it on its charger by the bed. All this time he had neglected to turn on the lights, so the flare from his cell phone as it told him it was charging illuminated the night stand, and the little flyer from his window. An advertisement, call this number and talk to the person of your choosing for a small fee. Of course there were the usual pictures of a man and woman, posing provocatively.

Usually Sasuke Uchiha was a perfect prude, but alcohol and months of not so much as touching himself had more than sent his libido into overdrive. He slid a cool hand down his bare torso, not hesitating in his movements as he usually would, not feeling at all self-conscious or paranoid for once.

It felt good, the soft touch of his own hand, but tonight it just didn't feel like enough, so on a whim he decided to do something he normally would frown upon, he called the number on the flyer.

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The phone vibrating in his numbing hand startled him, making him drop his cigarette, "shit," he bent to retrieve it before the wind blew it off the roof, while flipping the phone open in one fluid movement. "Yep." He answered " I will be patching through a male .He sounds young and drunk so if it's a prank hang up and *1 so we can charge him double for wasting our time. He didn't have any requests, so you are free to be whoever you want to be tonight. Oh, and Naruto, no more short and sweets. Keep your customer on the line. drag it out, your pay isn't just for the calls, its hourly. Please do not force me to train you on how to handle your calls again..." "alright, I got it." He replied, shuddering at the reminder of his boss' sadistic desires and the feeling that Orochimaru would be all too willing to 'train' him again. He began steeling himself for the call, pushing emotions and pride deep down as far as they would go. It was a matter of seconds before an automated sort of ringing began in his ear as the guy was patched onto his open line. "_Deep breaths.._"He reminded himself silently as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"Hey." He said in a low tone, hoping he sounded confident and attractive, rather than like he was disgusted and freezing on his rooftop. "Hello" replied a softly slurred voice from the other end, and there was a gentle whispering of breath that meant either the guy was laying on the phone for comfort or was already touching himself and trying to hide it. Naruto grimaced and hunched down behind one of the large aluminum exhaust fans to block the wind from whipping at him and the cell phone.

"Can you tell me what you look like?" Naruto asked, using his lower tone of voice again, still hopefully sounding sexy. "I'd rather not" Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh…the secretive type..okay.." He breathed huskily into the phone.

"What about you?" The man asked, his words still stumbling into each other. He sounded comfortable and sleepy; perhaps his breathing was from laying on the phone after all.

Naruto considered the different persona's he had adopted for various customers over the past few weeks, weighing his options. "Well?" the man prompted. He settled on himself, he didn't really have the energy for creativity.

"I've got blonde hair and blue eyes. Naturally tan.." He trailed off, "I dunno" He chuckled, "I'm really not all that interesting." He said, taking the last drag from his cigarette and flicking it to the side. He heard a snort from the other side, "Aren't you supposed to be trying to sound sexy?" Naruto chuckled, "Sorry man, I guess I am giving you shitty service; I could always forward you to,..er..someone else or something" He cringed thinking of his boss.

"No. I wasted my time calling."

"Hey man!" Naruto began, feeling defensive, " I said I was sorry and that I would forward you elsewhere"

"Your customer service sucks" the man replied lazily.

"Nothing is holding you on the line"

"Again, your customer service astounds me….aren't you getting paid for this?"

Naruto groaned. "Please, don't remind me."

"why are you doing this if you don't enjoy it?" The man asked, some of the sleepiness gone from his voice.

"money"

"You could get another job." The man stated.

"This _is_ my second job."

"hn."

"what? no more smart remarks?" Naruto quipped, unable to keep the grin out of his voice. This guy was definitely better than the needy girls and creepy men that usually called.

"None that your small brain could process."

"Whaaaaat! You asshole!", Take that back, he was worse. "If you are just going to be a stuck up bastard, then you can get off my line or I can forward you to someone else." He stated angrily, careful to keep his voice down so that his neighbors would not hear.

"Right now, I am _paying_ you to talk to me. What if I am waiting on the services I called for?" was the other mans smooth reply.

_Oh, he wants his services does he?_ Naruto thought indignantly. "Oh, I'm sorry." He dipped his voice into that low husky tone again, "I forgot to tell you how hard I've become from talking to you." He faked a breathy moan as he pretended to stroke himself.

He heard an intake of breath. So the asshole like it, did he?

"baka—stop", the man said, his voice sounding tense.

"Oh yea, call me names,..show me how much of an asshole you can be"

He began to breathe faster, as if just the thought had him excited.

"shove your cock down my _wet, warm, _throat."He said, emphasizing the descriptive words.

He listened for a moment and was satisfied to hear soft panting in his ear.

"Mmmmm, yea,,.don't just tease me bastard, do it harder,..I'll swallow it all…" He moaned softly, trying to match the barely audible rhythm of breath on the other line. There was a slight catch of breath, and a strained silence before a low rumbling moan met his ear.

Naruto snapped his eyes shut for a moment as the moan sent a rush of blood to his lower regions. usually he was disgusted with the sounds from the other end, he shook his head to clear the confusing thought.

"How was that asshole?" He asked, sarcasm in his voice again.

"I think I could have done it better. " The man answered. "Oh yea? Let's hear it then!"

"Maybe some other time, I've got to work in the morning."

–click-

"That ASSHOLE!"

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	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here we go, my attempt at chapter 2.**

Disclaimer is in ch1.

**Ch.2**

When I awoke to the smell of burning toast and the sound of soft obscenities emitting from the kitchen, I knew it must be around 9am.

This meant I had been asleep for a little less than 3 hours. Or as far as Hinata was concerned, I had been asleep for a good 8 or 9. Which meant it was time to get up, and she was thus trying to surprise me with breakfast-en-couch.

I yawned loudly and stretched all the way to my toes, and feeling satisfied, I stood and crept into the bedroom to change clothes. I took special care to conceal the cell phone even in private, just in case and slid on another tattered t-shirt under my worn out Hoodie.

Just the momentary exposure in the chilly apartment had me cursing and dredging up worries for the future. This drafty dump was no place for baby bean. I sighed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, before slapping a goofy grin on my face and walking out to face Hinata.

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It had taken less time to get out of the house than I had thought it would, it seemed she wasn't sleeping well, and the lure of an empty apartment to rest in had seemed wondrous. So I locked the door as I left, and hurriedly crept down the stairs, re-locking the main door as if on a time trial, and continued to sprint to the end of the alley.

Once in broad-daylight I breathed a little easier.

It had been a long time since I had been jumped, but I wasn't sure when Sai would come after me again, so I didn't want to be hanging around home if and when he eventually caught up to me.

Memories of the night he had cornered me sent chills up my spine. Sometimes letting my mouth run away with me caused way too many problems.

_The bar was getting busy, it was nearing midnight. The usual crowd was just getting up to full volume, and it was all Naruto could do to keep up with the orders being given to him at rapid fire. Trying to keep up with showmanship he was artfully tossing bottles and lighting things aflame, juggling empty shot glasses before lining them up on the bar top; he really was a one man circus some nights. As he poured the shots and slid them down the counter to each of his waiting and applauding customers' one man caught his eye. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark clothing, and the man was watching him, unfalteringly meeting his gaze from down the counter. He could feel the heat rise to his face as he continued to work, becoming ever more aware of the man's eyes following him. Hours later as the crowd was winding down, Naruto made his way over. "Hey! How's it going?" He asked in his usual boisterous fashion. "Fantastic now that you have finally joined me." The man answered, idly spinning a coin on the counter with slender pale fingers, oddly splattered with bits of ink. Yet his eyes did not leave Naruto's. Naruto raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, his cheeks tinting pink in his sudden discomfort. "NARUTO!" He jumped, and the man at the bar had sat up straighter, Jiraya was making his way behind the counter, part of his white hair smoking. "Kiba's having problems in the kitchen, I got the bar, you go help the idiot." Grinning, he shot the man an apologetic smile and dashed to help put out the fires [literally] in the kitchen._

_Come time to leave, Naruto had grabbed his jacket and slid it on, nestled his tips from the night into the pocket of his pants and dashed out the door into the comfortably cool night._

_He had planned a comfortable walk home, to enjoy the night air, but a presence behind him caused him to turn, a smile on his lips thinking the old man had let Kiba off early he was surprised to spot the pale dark man from before._

_"Oh hey!" He said, smiling, although slightly confused as to why this guy was lingering near the back exit of the bar. "Well hello, beautiful." He replied. Naruto's grin faltered for a moment as he took a step back. "Hey, dude, no offense, but your kinda creeping me out. Not that I'm not flattered or anything..but..yea..I'm not really looking for a date or whatever.." He trailed off, not really sure what else to say. "Oh, I'm sorry Naruto, I thought maybe we could get to know each other a little better." He practically purred the name, licking his lips._

_"Hey, that's not fair! You know my name and I don't know yours!" Naruto proclaimed good naturedly, though still taking a step back every so often. This guy was a little weird; his heart was starting to pick up the pace._

_"My name is Sai, Naruto. And I hear that you have been very naughty, whoring around with other men." His mouth curled in distaste. "I thought maybe you could show me a little bit of what that's like..Or am I not good enough for you?!" Naruto simply stared, flabbergasted as Sai spoke. It had been a long time since someone had spoken to him with that much disgust. So absorbed was he by the flickering of emotion in the other man's face, he hadn't noticed that Sai was moving toward him, and he had backed himself into a wall._

_And then he was there, pressed up against him, his breath hot on his face, his hands on Naruto's hips. That's when the shock subsided. "get the fuck off me man!" He angrily shoved the other man away, only to be rewarded with a punch to the ribs. He doubled over gasping for air, as a knee slammed into his face, causing him to stand quickly and crack his head on the brick wall behind him. Dazed he simply fell to the ground. Sai quickly sat straddling the other man, pinning his arms above his head. "Don't be that way, I know you like it."_

_"Fuck you!" he hissed. He could feel the blood running down his face and throat, he was nearly gagging on it. He hacked and spit a gob right into Sai's smirking face. His smirk was quickly replaced by fury, as he wrapped both hand around Naruto's throat. "You fucking fag! How dare you spit on me?!" Naruto chocked and gasped for a moment, before realizing that this guy might actually kill him. This wasn't going to be just some fight, this guy was nuts. He grasped his hands onto the insides of Sai's arms and pushed, causing his arms to bow and giving Naruto the opportunity to send all the man's body weight hurling over him. It only took a moment, and Naruto was on his feet._

_But so was Sai._

_He considered his options for a moment, he could run, but how far would he get? He couldn't lead this nut case back to Hinata._

_He had to win._

_The next few moments was a series of punches, blocks, kicks, almost like a well-choreographed dance. Soon they were both panting, and bleeding in several spots. Naruto's muscles were shaking from exhaustion. He wasn't used to this kind of thing anymore. The skills he would never forget, but he couldn't keep up with this speed much longer. "Not too bad Naruto, I didn't expect this much skill from someone like you." Again he spoke with such distaste that Naruto was stunned for a moment._

_"What the hell is your problem anyway? First you're hitting on me, and then you're trying to kill me… I don't get it." "Hitting on you? Like I would flirt with one of you. You are nothing. Something to be used and tossed aside." _

_Naruto snorted, "Are you that insecure about being gay? You're so disgusted by yourself that you…that you...what? Beat people up? Intimidate people into having sex with you? You really think you are that much better than everyone else?!"_

_"I am not a faggot," Sai bit out," I'm simply amused by how easy to manipulate you queers are. One minute you're flirting with me, and the next, begging for your life. Begging for me to stop. Groveling and promising anything for your lives to be spared. " he spoke with an unhinged sort of passion that made Naruto's level of concern skyrocket. There was a very real chance that he was going to die tonight. Impassioned by his own speech, Sai began reaching into his pants pocket and retrieved two sets of brass knuckles, spiked on the ends._

_Naruto watched warily. He scanned the ground , there was nothing he could use. If he yelled no one would be able to hear him over the ruckus inside Jiraya's bar, and if he ran, he would have to pass Sai to get to an exit point. There was no other option than to fight, hopefully without getting hit._

_The pain of that first hit was something he'd likely never forget. A shot to the ribs, the feeling of something cracking, then the awful pain of something ripping.. The shock of the first hit preventing him from blocking the next one, and the next, until all he knew was pain. When he opened his eyes he could see the triumphant Sai above him, straddling him once again. Naruto caught himself wondering when he had fallen to the ground._

_Sai had a manic gleam in his eye. His arms and face were splattered with blood. He was rocking his erection into Naruto's hips, his hands on Naruto's shoulders, causing the spikes to dig painfully into his throat. " Are you going to beg now, Naruto?" Moving hurt, breathing was almost excruciating. _

_Then Sai was gone. Naruto could hear coughing, and the sounds of fighting, then a startled cry, and silence._

_"Naruto! NARUTO!" and then Kiba slid into view, followed by old man Jiraya. "Dude! Say something! Anything!" He simply groaned, his eyes rolling back. Kiba hoisted him up carrying him as quickly as he could through the back door and laid him on the old man's office desk, scattering all manner of papers. Then Jiraya charged in, shouting obscenities and about blood on his paperwork and ruining a novel. Naruto wasn't entirely sure that he was even hearing correctly, everything was spinning. Then something very cold and extremely painful went cascading over his shirt and suddenly he was screaming words that were probably entirely make-believe before passing out._

It had taken a few days to heal, I had woken up on my couch with about ten pounds of gauze and tape wrapped around my torso, courtesy of Kiba. Hinata had been told that I had simply had a fight with a drunk patron, as when Kiba and Jiraya went outside to take care of Sai, he had been gone and a note had been written in what would have been beautiful calligraphy, had it not been blood, & ironically enough, on the back of a flyer for the same sex line that now employed me. It had been stuck to the back door , and simply said "You still owe me our date".

The cops were all corrupt, so even though I had filed a report, I was sure they wouldn't do anything. Hell they hadn't even taken the letter seriously.

Sighing, I made a mental effort to push my musings to the back of my mind. I had more important things to worry about. Like coffee, more sleep, and the money that i was going to be making with my now third job.

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I couldn't take it anymore; this had to be the most unimaginative presentation I had ever seen. Fifteen men in respectable suits, sitting around a beautiful mahogany table in comfortable leather chairs, and at least half were covertly taking naps with their faces hidden in their hands. The man presenting the marketing proposition seemed either oblivious or uncaring that his audience had faded away at least ten minutes ago.

I stood. "I'm sorry—Mr.-?" "Aburame, Sir"

"Mr. Aburame, my boardroom has fallen asleep. Marketing should be attention-getting and your proposition cannot even hold the attention of this room, how exactly is this supposed to help my company?" stuttered for a moment before I felt myself losing patience again. "We will meet again next week for to try again, you are all dismissed."

I swept out of the meeting room, irritated at the stupidity of others, checking my watch. It was nearing lunch now, and the coffee shop down the street sounded like the perfect place to collect my thoughts and check my emails away from the stuffy air of my office. I took the elevator down and walked through the busy lobby area exiting the glass front doors. The effect of the cool air was amazing in its ability to calm my mind. I decided to walk the few blocks to the coffee shop.

When I arrived at the coffee shop, a little nook downtown, the music inside was calm, the tables were fairly close together, and soft chairs were scattered into various corners. It was the perfect respite.

"Hey, know what you want, or do you need a minute?", said a tan blonde haired man from behind the counter. His name-tag read 'Naruto'.

"I'd just like a tall bold columbian blend coffee. Black." I responded. Naruto pulled a face.

"Black?" I raised an impatient eyebrow. Was he insulting my taste? "Well to each his own man, I guess there's been stranger. I had a guy a couple of hours ago come in and ask for a small coffee, but with no coffee. I told him I could boil him some water for free, but he wanted hot water from the coffee machine, so like coffee flavored water. Weird." He commented as he made my coffee. Coffee water? I wondered idly, unsure whether he was making this up to cover his insult, or if it had really happened.

He handed me my coffee and receipt with a smile and a wave, and I simply turned away to sit in the corner of the darkened room. I sank gratefully into the comfortable chair and began scrolling through my emails on my phone, replying as necessary. As a matter of fact, I sat there for nearly twenty minutes blessedly undisturbed until the horrible sound of a phone vibrating against a table or counter pulled my attention. I looked up in time to see the blonde man at the counter, who had been silently cleaning and straightening, shove his hand in his pocket and hurriedly answer. I turned back to my phone, but now that my focus had been pulled away I was having difficulty tuning out the other man's yammering.

"Hello?! I don't work until 2am..what? No. I agreed to part time, that can't be right. I have two other jobs, how am I supposed to..? You're kidding me. Requested? They only get ten minutes! Yea, I'm at another job right now…sure, it's slow right now."

When I looked back up he was disappearing into the backroom and I was allowed to finish my coffee in peace. Glancing at the time on my phone, I decided it would be a good time to head back to the office and didn't spare another thought about the conversation I had overheard.

Hours later found me sitting at my desk, paperwork complete, and my mind was drifting. I thought of the bar I had visited last night, and the phone call I had made.

The thought made my pulse quicken, partially in shame and partially in excitement. Though the thought of calling a phone sex line was certainly taboo, the guy I had ended up talking to was lively and funny. He had been easy to rile, and in turn had riled me in another way. I wondered if I called again if I would be able to talk to him again. Not even for the usual reasons, but simply because he had been entertaining.

There was a knock on my office door as Shikamaru slouched in. He collapsed on the leather sofa with a grunt. "Will today ever end? These people are such a pain." I allowed myself a grin. "What do I even pay you to do?" I asked, "Did you find me a new secretary?" He raised himself up on his elbows, looking rather comical splayed as he was in my pristine office in his expensive suit. "What part of these people are a pain, are you not understanding? Every person I interviewed today wouldn't last a day. Not with your 'ever so polite' ways of talking to your secretaries." he replied as I rolled my eyes. "I talk to my secretaries the way I talk to everyone else."

"Exactly." he stated slumping back down as if that explained everything. In a way I supposed it did. Again I found myself thinking of the guy from the phone.

In a business meeting I could be as smooth as silk, which is why I am so successful at work. In my personal life, however, I can't be troubled to be anything other than myself. Hence, my only friend being the rather lazy genius collapsed on my couch.

Technically Shikamaru was my Financial Advisor & Market Strategist, but he was so far ahead in terms of planning and paperwork that he might as well take the next few years off.

"Alright. Well," I said, checking my watch, "my paperwork is done, forward calls to the office - I'm not dealing with another night of headaches from idiots who can't read." I spoke as I slid things into my briefcase. All I received in the form of recognition was a raised index finger. Taking that as on OK, I grabbed my keys and headed for the exit.

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I reached the bar, and let myself into the back door. Jiraiya had given me a key long ago. He was almost like a father to me, granted he was a really perverted, demanding, and sneaky guy. But his intentions have always been good, and he looks out for me.

I hung my coat on the rack; the air in the bar was considerably warmer than outside. The Old Man wouldn't be in for a few hours still, and there were a few things to be done before open. So I set about sweeping and mopping, wiping the counters and small tables with Clorox water, emptying the ash trays and finally turning on the fryer to heat the oil. By the time I was done, the coffee I had all but inhaled had worn off, and I could feel my eyes drooping. I made my way behind the bar and lay down. It seemed like as soon as I closed my eyes a heavy wooden sandal was pressed against my face. "I'm not paying you to be a bar mat! I'd fall all over the place trying to walk on all those bones!" Shouted a man's voice, and the weight vanished. "Fuck off!" I half-heartedly yelled back as his hand grasped mine helping me to stand. "When is the last time you ate?" Jiraya asked, pointing an accusing finger at my ribs. His face seemed disgusted, but I knew him. He cared. He just couldn't show it all too well. "Go eat something you useless whelp. If you pass out or die, I'll be short a bartender!" Short a bartender. I grinned. Leave it to Jiraya to mask concern with something as insensitive as being short a barman.

I made my way to the back to eat at least a plate of fries, when I spotted it. There, where my usual apron hung, on the nail over mop bucket, was some extra thing. I picked it up and held it out from me. It looked like a piece of some woman's fishnets. "Hey JIRAYA!" I yelled, seeing his head peer around the corner, " the hell is this?" I asked, holding it between my thumb and forefinger. He grinned. "Your shirt, idiot." And he popped back around the corner. I laughed and followed him as he filled the register and front safe with cash. "Right. Really why was this on my hook?" He continued to count money as he answered me. "Your shirt. We need to up the sex appeal around here, and I didn't have much in budget for the guys. The weekend girls all got new uniforms, I need more business."

"New business? Right. You just wanted to see shorter skirts." I complained. "Me and almost every other male in here. The ones that aren't here for the girls can look at you and Kiba." He smirked. "Now go get ready I don't have time for this." "I'm not wearing this." I replied. "Then go home" he replied as he walked past me, still counting the bills out and making his way to the other register.

I simply stared at him. He was serious. He really wanted me to wear this..thing.

Groaning I made my way to the back and slipped off my jacket and shirt, hanging them on the hook. I then slid the piece of cloth that was no larger than my hand over my head. Surprisingly the material stretched and went over my body, but I don't think I would call it 'fitting'. I didn't bother with the apron, the pockets were too large to securely hold my tips. I pulled at the fabric covering my torso again. I felt like an idiot.

"What the hell are you wearing!?" Came a call from behind me, and a loud cackling noise that I had come to associate with Kiba's laughter. "Don't laugh dog breath, it's our new uniform. You have one too" His laughter stopped abruptly after that. It was silent for a while as we both tugged on the poor excuse for a shirt rather uncomfortably. "Since when are your nipples pierced?" He asked. "High school" I replied, rolling my eyes. He simply laughed and pointed to his facial tattoos. "Me too" We laughed and wrote our time into the clock sheet and went out to start up the Friday night crowd.

It wasn't long before the bar was full out crazy. The weekend DJ was playing Dubstep tonight, people were dancing and hanging out around the tables. The two pool tables were full of people and the girls new uniforms were more fit for strippers.

Fortunately for Kiba and I, our uniform changes had also been met by approval by our customers, and tips were increasing. I could feel my anxiety for baby bean lessening by the moment. Our showmanship behind the bar tonight was at an all time high, every routine we had ever made (plus some we were making up as we went) was being put to the test. Flipping bottles back and forth, lining up the shakers for stacked pouring: all if it. It was almost 10 when I noticed a pale dark haired man at the end of the bar looking my way. I nearly lost a bottle of tequila into Kiba's face in my shock, my heart racing a million miles a minute, before I realized that it was not Sai back to claim a 'date' with me. The relief that flooded me was immense. I decided it was time for a break, my hands were still shaking.

I walked to where the dark haired guy was sitting, hoping to take his order really quick before my break. "Aren't you the guy from the coffee shop?" he half yelled to make himself heard. I paused and really looked at his face before I realized that this was the guy from this morning. I nodded, smiling. "How many jobs do you have?" He asked, curious because he'd seen me in two places today. "Too many" I answered, "What can I get for you? I'm afraid I don't have any coffee this time" I joked. He half grinned, and just that small gesture transformed his serious face into a thing of striking beauty. I wondered what he looked like when he laughed. He said something in reply, but I couldn't hear him over the newest song. I leaned forward for him to speak closer to my ear. "A couple shots of bourbon" he said, apparently for the second time. His voice sent chills down my spine - a reaction I didn't usually get. Something about this guy, he was definitely attractive to me.

With a wink and a smile, I poured him three, telling him to save the third for me because I was about to go on break. He eyed me for a moment, probably deciding whether I was kidding or not, before nodding.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Watching him walk into the back of the bar to go on break made my heart beat a little faster. Was he hitting on me? Was he gay? Was he just being nice? It was hard to picture the innocent looking blue eyed boy from the coffee shop as the daredevil barkeep with pierced nipples who just poured himself a shot of bourbon to drink with me. I was almost startled as he slid onto the stool next to mine. He grinned, putting his elbows on the counter and knocked back his shot. I took my two as well and stacked the glasses, forcing myself not to grimace from the burn in my esophagus. "So, what's your name?" he asked, turning to face me. "Sasuke. You?" I replied, turning to somewhat face him as well, causing our knees to touch. My heart rate was picking up, and I was thankful for the loud music in the bar. It meant that we had to be much closer than normal to have a conversation, and I was very interested in knowing exactly what his intentions were. "Naruto"


End file.
